


wealth without virtue (is no harmless neighbor)

by disaster_sapphic



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Assassins & Hitmen, Amity Blight-centric, Angst, Character Study, F/F, Homophobia, If You Squint - Freeform, Or Is It?, major character death tag isn't for who you think it's for, who knows? :)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-17 19:48:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29971416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/disaster_sapphic/pseuds/disaster_sapphic
Summary: Don’t get attached.The first rule she learned, and the one that was consistently repeated before she went after her first targets. It was the rule most deeply ingrained into every job she did, the one she thought she knew like the back of her hand.But she couldn’t help herself.
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda
Comments: 3
Kudos: 33





	1. Thursday

Amity brushed her hair back as she picked up the envelope lying on the office desk in front of her, tearing it open before taking the paper inside and reading through it,

“Got it.” She confirmed to the boss in front of her.

The tall man standing behind the desk nodded. “Remember that this is an urgent case. You have until Saturday. All of the details are outlined.”

Today was Thursday. Amity’s had worse.

“It’ll be done by Saturday.” She confirmed before turning out of the office.

As she closed the door, she let out a sigh and her tense muscles loosened, with her shoulders relaxing and jaw unclenching. She knew she hated this, but always forgot _how_ much she hated it.

A family like the Blights was so prestigious and wealthy, with an unstained public image.

...A pristine _image_ of innocence.

Taking clients who wanted certain people gone certainly paid well, and the amount they've gotten has brought them a prosperous, thriving life.

At least, one where they had so many riches that they stopped searching for the things that they wanted. Because they already have everything, so what else _could_ they want?

And of all the people their town would suspect to be involved in the uprising of assassinations, who would bat an eye at the well-regarded, prim, and proper business owners of the town?

After she graduated from university, Amity’s parents informed her of their practices and insisted that they follow in her footsteps.

Of course, when she found out about this, she couldn’t even believe they had the heart to do it. Much less kill innocent people herself.

But, the Blight parents were expecting their child to have some...moral quandaries. 

So they accustomed her to the practice.

To Amity’s surprise, her parents were accepting when she initially refused their offer.

“You’ll be able to find a good job, dear. We understand.” Was NOT the response she was expecting from them, but allowed herself to be grateful that they didn’t try to force her into it.

She should’ve known better.

-

It started with a subtle mention of their next target over dinner, the one night she (begrudgingly) visited them for dinner.

“A couple was out celebrating, and this man attacked them. He called them some...unfavorable slurs, and berated them. One of the women was shot, and didn’t make it. The poor thing. Her wife was left in shambles.”

Normally Amity detached from the conversation, only giving firm nods when prompted. But this line of conversation had her perking her head up from her plate.

“Was...was anyone around?”

“Sadly, no. She called for help and reported it, but since the man had left before they had arrived on scene, no one believed her.”

Through her mask, her expression faltered slightly in empathy. This didn’t go unnoticed.

“But,” Alador spoke up, “She managed to find him. And contacted us about...serving justice for him.” 

At these words, something stirred in Amity. She couldn’t even believe she was considering this. She recalled their first offer, and how she still felt disgust at the idea of hurting an innocent. 

But this man _wasn’t_ innocent.

“Can I do it?”

It was just this once, right?

-

She thought it would be.

But then she received a call from her father, whose voice was uncharacteristically wavering.

“Amity, it’s-I’m so sorry. Your mother, she...one of the targets had family. They traced back what happened, and...I’m sorry.”

Her breath hitched.

“I know it’s awful to ask, but...I really need some help. With our clients. I can’t do it alone.”

Normally she would’ve refused.  
But...she still loved her mother. And she still wanted to avenge her.

Besides...what would her mother think if she didn’t help when they needed it the most?

“I…” She hesitated, but… 

“Okay.”

_

The night was almost too quiet. It made Amity’s job harder, as she tried to quiet her steps towards the suburban house.

Luckily, the house being closer to the woods next to it than the other houses on the block helped.

Sneaking towards the left side of the house, she prepared to work the kitchen window open. That is, until the shadow of a figure set her instincts to life and told her to hide from the view. She was grateful that she backed up to the wall of the house upon seeing kitchen lights turn on from her peripheral vision.

She carefully looked through the glass from her position, to avoid being seen.

The sight surprised her.

Not the person she saw, she knew exactly what her target was supposed to look like. Average height, short brown hair, and in the picture they obtained, she was smiling wildly. 

A far cry from how she looked now. She was wearing old sweatpants and a tank top, but what was even more unexpected was how her face was buried in her arms, and how she was shaking. After a moment she brought herself up, and Amity got a better look at her face.

Her blotchy, tear stained face. In wiping her tears away, she was rubbing her eyes, which only made them slightly more red.

Amity made herself look away.

 _ **Don’t get attached.**_ The first rule she learned, and the one that was consistently repeated before she went after her first targets. It was the rule most deeply ingrained into every job she did, the one she thought she knew like the back of her hand.

But she couldn’t help herself.

She faltered at how broken the girl looked. She could empathize with that.

She couldn’t help feeling bad, no matter how much she knew she shouldn’t.

It’s only Thursday night, she has until Saturday. Maybe she can wait... after all, it’s beyond cruel to make a night like this someone’s last.

Amity felt so weak, but she made up her mind. She ducked under the window to sneak out onto the sidewalk. 

She could do it tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> major character death tag is here for odalia.  
> as for luz?  
> ...  
> who knows?  
> :)


	2. Friday

Like most mornings without her caffeine fix, Amity was barely functional.

Her siblings were staying over for the weekend, and they took all of the coffee that had already brewed. She was _much_ too tired to wait another half hour to make a new brew, so she grabbed a jacket and rushed out the door towards a small cafe near her family’s manor.

She pushed the door open, being greeted with a short set of stairs. She walked up and was greeted by the ambient smell of coffee, with a hint of sweetness.

The cafe was small, and there were only a couple of tables and a single couch - in front of which laid a table with a chess board and some magazines. Behind it, a window that looked out to the neighborhood in front of it.

A familiar one.

_No,_ Amity cut off her thoughts. _I’ll deal with it later._

She kept moving towards the cash register and pastry display, beneath a detailed menu with a few drawings for the day’s specials to take her order, met with an older woman. She carried herself with a graceful and strict poise, but upon seeing Amity at the register, she visibly relaxed and smiled.

“Hello again, the usual?”

Amity nodded.

She had come here so often that she had gotten to know plenty of the workers, one of whom was a co-owner. They didn’t speak too much now, but the comfort of seeing someone you know always mattered to them. 

The cozy atmosphere of the cafe was a refuge for Amity, and allowed her a place that really felt like a home. That wasn’t so expansive it felt incredibly empty. One that wasn’t so big that you couldn’t hear a pin drop in any given room.  
So, like she often did, she allowed herself to relax in the warmth as she had her coffee. It made her happy, and allowed her to leave the shop in higher spirits.

...That is, until she turned the corner outside the cafe and collided into someone.

They both fell to the ground, and Amity looked up with a frustrated expression, wanting to tell them off. 

But that expression changed to one of shock when she recognized the fluff of brown hair.

_Fuck._ She needed to be cool about this, she can’t look suspicious-

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry! Are you okay? Can I help you up?”

The person (Luz, Amity’s mind supplied) was already up and holding a hand out. The risen sun behind her cast her in a light that brought out her features, and made her brown eyes shine with specks of gold.

She was lit beautifully, and looked almost ethereal to Amity.

The sight made her blush. Literally all she wanted was to melt into a puddle. At this point, she might as well BE one, with how she’s been unmoving and wide eyed on the ground. The thought shook out of her stupor enough to take the hand in front of her.

“I..yes, I’m fine. Sorry about that.” She looked away, about to turn around and let go of the girl’s hand, but a squeeze kept her in place.

“Wait! Any way I can...make it up to you? I was just going to get some coffee.” She gestured to the place beside her.

Amity grinned, holding back a small laugh despite everything. “I already had coffee.”

“Oh. Maybe later today, then? I can treat you to something, some lunch maybe? We can meet back here in a few hours.”

Now, all of her training told her that this was a bad idea. She was already in a bad position from last night and this whole... _incident_. Spending more time with her, alone, should’ve been out of the question.

But the smile the girl offered her was so...genuine. More welcoming than she was ever used to, and carried a warmth that started to draw her in.

Plus, she was way too panicked to come up with a good reason to say no without looking suspicious - considering that she had no reason (that she could tell her).  
So she agreed.

-

When the two met up again, Amity was so tense and closed off that she was visibly stiff.

Of course, Luz noticed this immediately when they met up. Her expression changed to one of worry, and offered a supportive hand.

“Hey, are you okay? You look really upset. We don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”

Amity recalled the sight from the night before, of the same girl who was all bright smiles and supportive gestures leaning over her kitchen counter, looking so _broken_. The change was shocking.

It made her loosen up, not finding the heart to lie to the vibrant girl in front of her.

“I’m just...really stressed, right now.” She managed.

That was enough for Luz, who smiled warmly and made a gesture to her side.

“Well, then let’s go do some de-stressing!”

-

They ended up going for lunch at a fast food joint, taking a table outside. The get-to-know-you small talk soon transitioned into heated debates over the better ice cream flavors and TV shows. They were enjoying their grease-fests over peals of laughter. 

Amity was surprised at how easy this felt. But there were moments where her good mood would be soured by painful reminders.

“So, what do you do?”

“Oooh, what’s your family like? Do you have any siblings?”

All answered with generic responses to evade suspicion.

Nonetheless, she enjoyed the break from tension this outing allowed her.

She only regretted it when she was back in her room that night, staring at the glow of her phone with new messages asking if they could go out again sometime.

Because once again, she couldn't work up the nerve to go. 

Reluctantly answering her messages, she allowed herself to get some rest, convincing herself that she would be able to work up the nerve tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm not responding to comments because i do _not_ trust myself to not drop hints by accident but please know that I love all of you


End file.
